The Learning Curve
by ikumi
Summary: Drake and JJ search for love after the end of the series.
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: I got the idea of Drake and JJ as a couple from a fantastic fic that I read a while ago. The title is "La Vie en Rose", and if any of you are fans of Drake and JJ, READ IT. Read it even if you aren't, because you'll become a DrakexJJ fan. I really like the fic, and as I thought about it, the chemistry between them became clearer to me. I didn't want to post this without giving credit to my inspiration, so here it is! This fic would never have been written if not for you ^.^. Thanks a lot. Onto the fic. This takes place after the events in "Like, Like, Love." Ryo and Dee are living together, JJ and Drake are partners, and Diana and Berkeley Rose are getting married.  
  
The Learning Curve Chapter One  
  
On a crowded street in New York City, there is a little cafŽ often frequented by police officers from the nearby precinct. Late one evening in August, one man sat alone, sipping coffee and staring out the window at the people passing by. It seemed to him that he was surrounded by love everywhere he looked. His commissioner was getting married, two of his friends were moving in together, even the strangers on the street seemed to all have someone. Yes, everyone in the world except Drake had someone else to hold onto, to love...well, everyone except Drake's partner JJ.  
Drake sighed and dropped his head onto his hand at the thought of his partner. JJ had seemed to be happy lately, ever since their talk on the roof of the police department, but every once in a while he let his mask slip, and the pain that had built up throughout his many years of carrying an unreciprocated love shone through. Drake sympathized with his partner, but he couldn't understand him. Drake was the kind of man who loved a girl passionately while the relationship lasted, and he mourned the loss of each girl with equal passion, but he had never been stuck on one person for years at a time when it was obvious that the other person just didn't feel the same. He couldn't imagine having to live with that kind of burden all the time. Bad enough when yet another girl dumped him because he was too devoted to his work, or they didn't share enough common interests, or because she met someone else, but to love someone who wouldn't even acknowledge your feelings? Drake raised his head and shook it slightly in self-recrimination. It wasn't that Dee wouldn't acknowledge JJ's feelings, it was that Dee didn't understand that JJ was serious. Dee was so occupied with his own love that he did not see that JJ was miserably in love with him. Drake could sympathize with that sort of blindness: he had, after all, completely missed the growing relationship between Ryo and Dee himself, and it took JJ to make him notice.  
But Drake wasn't always so oblivious. Case in point: JJ. Drake could see beyond the hyper front to the serious and devoted man JJ wanted no one to know about. He saw how it hurt JJ each time Dee hid behind Ryo, each time someone else laughed about JJ's manner of chasing after Dee. And Drake knew that JJ could see beyond Drake's forced ennui to the longing that he rarely admitted to himself he had. He wanted, more than almost anything in the world, to have a lasting relationship. He joked about being dumped by each of his girlfriends, he laughed when the pain of being rejected again receded enough, and he used his tough-guy, "nothing-shocks-me" front to keep a distance between himself and the rest of the world, but deep inside, so deep he almost forgot about it for weeks at a time, was a longing for someone to love him as he was. Yes, he wanted someone to stay with him for once, to try to work through any problems instead of just tossing their hands up and leaving. The problem was, he wanted his work even more. Most people couldn't get close enough to Drake to understand that, as much as he longed for personal happiness, he could not justify neglecting his work for himself. What he did was important, far more important than any one person. Far more important than his own happiness. He helped people! He saved lives every day, with each criminal he put behind bars, and he could not just stop doing that because one person demanded a little more attention and threw a fit when he couldn't give it.  
So there he sat, at a loveless little cafŽ table in the middle of a love-struck city, sinking deeper and deeper into his own depressing thoughts because he didn't know if he could bear to start another relationship with the knowledge that it would never work. He sighed again and slumped even deeper into his seat, hanging his head.  
"Hey, Drake! You look down. What's wrong?" A cheery voice interrupted his thoughts.  
Great, Drake thought gloomily. Just who I wanted to see while I was in this mood. My fellow loser-at-love. He forced a smile onto his face and met JJ's curious gaze.  
"Hi, JJ. I wasn't really thinking about much, just-"  
"The girl who dumped you?" JJ interrupted. He looked slightly concerned. "You're dwelling on her longer than you usually do with your failed girlfriends. I thought we had decided to live looking forward?"  
Drake grimaced. "I wasn't really thinking about her so much as the whole situation. I mean, not the individual situation with her, but with all women. I know I said I didn't need a woman, and that may be true, but I want one, for God's sake!" He sighed and slumped again, then waved a hand at the chair across the table. "Sit down, JJ. Get yourself a coffee or whatever."  
"I can't, I've gotta run. I just saw you in here looking so depressed and thought I'd see if I could do anything to help."  
Drake quirked an eyebrow at JJ. "Have to go, hmmm? Hot date?" He waited for the emphatic denial, the exclamation of his love for Dee, and was surprised when nothing was forthcoming.  
JJ blushed slightly. "I wouldn't call it a 'date', exactly...just sort of a 'get-to-know-you' type of thing." Drake stared at him, open-mouthed. JJ was going on a date? Because whether or not JJ called it date, that's what it was.  
"B-but I thought-" Drake started.  
JJ looked at his watch, then glanced out to the street. "Oh, he's here. I'm sorry I couldn't help more, Drake. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Good luck with thinking things through." He hesitated, bit his lip, then bent down and gave Drake a quick hug. "Maybe that'll make up for not staying longer. Bye!"  
Drake couldn't do anything but shake his head in bewilderment as he watched JJ dart out of the cafŽ and run across the street to a tall blond man who smiled warmly at him. JJ was a bouncy as usual, though he kept a physical distance between himself and the other man. They talked animatedly for a few minutes, then started to walk down the street, still not touching.   
Suddenly JJ turned back to the cafŽ and opened his mouth wide, then pushed his jaw up with one hand while giving Drake a significant look. Drake blinked, then realized that his mouth had been hanging open as he watched the little scene. He closed it, shook his head yet again, and returned to his cold coffee and cold thoughts. 


	2. Chapter Two

Author's note: The case that I used in the first part of this chapter is from the book "There Are No Children Here" by Alex Kotlowitz. It details two years in the lives of two young black brothers in the Projects in Chicago, and is a true story.  
  
The Learning Curve Chapter Two  
  
Drake slammed the door to his apartment after he entered. The day had been horrible. He and JJ had worked all day on a drug case where a mob boss used young children, all around 13 or 14, to sell his drugs. It seemed like an open and close case, but no one, even the family of the children involved, would agree to testify. Not only that, but Drake sensed that most people in the neighborhood actually approved of the mob boss! Although the kids he used were young, he absolutely refused to use anyone any younger, unlike other bosses. And he protected younger children from abusive families. There were reports that he had punched a drunken father who had been verbally abusing his daughter, and he had warned the father that if he ever heard such language used in front of children again, the man would regret it.  
All of this meant, of course, that the case was not, in fact, black and white. If Drake did manage to find proof of the boss' crimes, or if some brave soul did come forward to testify, then that particular boss might be put behind bars. But what would happen to the neighborhood? A new, more ruthless boss might come in. He might decide to start using preadolescents instead of teenagers to sell his drugs. He might condone violence against children. There was no way to win this case; either way, someone suffered.  
Most days, Drake loved his work. He usually didn't see the positive side of crime, or rather, of criminals. He only saw the blood, the death, the mindless cruelty, and he enjoyed locking the bars behind the monsters for as long as possible. But days like this, when all he could see were the gray areas and he wasn't sure what the right thing to do was, he almost hated what he did. It was never enough to make him give up - nothing could do that, nothing - but it did make for long, sleepless nights as he wrestled with his own personal demons.  
Drake passed his tiny kitchen with little more than a glance. He had no appetite tonight. All he wanted to do was lay down and try to rest. He flopped down on his old, comfortable couch and relaxed. He thought momentarily about watching TV, but dismissed it. He wasn't in the mood to laugh, and he certainly didn't need to watch the soaps, with their intricate plots and excessive melodrama.  
"Ugh!" He muttered to himself. "I hate today!" It was really unfortunate, too. He had been feeling better since the day he and JJ had had their little chat in the cafŽ. The thought that JJ might have found someone other than Dee seemed proof to Drake that anyone could succeed in the game of love. Usually when he was down, it had to do with a recent break-up instead of his work. His mouth curved slightly as he thought of how JJ tried to cheer him up when he was down. It usually came in the form of mysterious cups of black coffee on his desk (if there was one thing JJ hated, it was black coffee, and Drake imagined that it was physically painful for JJ to order it), or first pick of the doughnuts. Thinking of JJ's methods of comfort almost succeeded in making Drake feel better, and he let himself relax completely and sink into the couch. His mind wandered as he thought of JJ and he remembered the time JJ had kissed him as a seal to their vow of moving forward instead of looking back. Drake grinned slightly at the memory. At the time, he had been shocked and somewhat appalled to find his lips pressed to JJ's, but in retrospect, it was funny. It was just so JJ to seal a promise to find someone new by kissing someone else! Of course, Drake doubted it would be so easy for JJ to forget about Dee, but at least he had come to a decision. Drake supposed that he had as well - as he had said, he was about ready to give up on women. He firmly believed in love, but he knew very well that it didn't work out between everybody. Just look at his parents! Now that had been a disaster of a marriage. Drake sighed and shifted a little. He was so warm and comfortable, and it was so hard to keep his eyes open...  
  
Drake came awake with a jerk, aware of a pleasure so intense it was almost painful. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming about, he just knew it was one of the more powerful dreams he had ever had, even during the turbulent teenage years. He looked down, blushed bright red as he realized there was no need to finish himself off, then flopped back again. "Shit..." he muttered to himself. "What the hell was that about? I haven't had a fucking wet dream for years!"  
He forced himself to get up, and realized that he would need a shower. It wasn't only his dream, it was a day's worth of sweat and grime. He and JJ had been walking around in a bad part of town, and it showed.  
He stripped quickly and dropped his clothes in his hamper. He turned the water to lukewarm (he didn't need a cold shower anymore) and quickly washed himself of the dirt and grunge of the day. He was in the process of shampooing his hair when the doorbell rang.  
"Shit!" he muttered as he rinsed himself quickly and hopped out of the shower. "Whoever it is, is just going to have to deal with me in a towel, because I sure as hell am not getting dressed just to get undressed again when I continue my shower."  
He stomped over to the door and jerked it open without checking who it was, only to be greeted by JJ's cheerful face.  
  
JJ frowned and muttered to himself as he wound his way through the city. The date a few days ago had been...well, mediocre was the best word for it. It seemed that everyone JJ had tried since he had resolved to get over Dee just couldn't compare. How pathetic was that - the guys who asked him out were more boring to spend time with than a man who was oblivious to his very existence. Oh, he knew that it wasn't just them - he was a problem, too. He just didn't seem to be attracted to any of them, and if he thought it would help, he'd start dating women, too. But as much as he enjoyed women, he knew that he wasn't meant to spend his life with one. Sure, he'd been attracted a couple of times in a purely platonic way - he could see candlelit dinners and romantic walks through the city, but the idea of having sex with them didn't move him at all. On top of that, his day at work had been horrible. He had mixed feelings about this case, and knew that Drake was upset about it as well.   
JJ paused at the thought of his partner. They were a fairly clichŽd pair, really, he thought with a grin. JJ was the hyperactive, outgoing one and Drake was the slightly depressed, steady one. They balanced perfectly, and it showed in their work. JJ knew that Drake had had some misgivings when they had first been partnered, and if he were perfectly honest he had had some qualms as well. When he saw Drake's messy hair, bedroom eyes, and carelessly put together suit, he had thought he'd been partnered with the failure of the precinct. It had taken him a few days to realize his error, and even longer to realize that Drake was his ideal partner in every way.  
JJ looked around and realized he was standing in front of Drake's apartment. It happened so often when he was lost in his thoughts. He would just be walking and realize that he was standing at that building, making his way up the stairs, knocking on the door...  
He grinned as the door flew open and a very wet, almost naked Drake appeared before him. As Drake's expression moved from angry to surprised, JJ pushed his way into the apartment.  
"Hey, partner. Am I interrupting something?"  
"No," Drake scowled, "just my shower."  
JJ looked innocently at him. "That's what I meant. What else would I be interrupting in this apartment? You gave up on love, remember?"  
"Oh, shut up. You have no respect."  
"You know I respect you, sempai. But I also know you," he snickered.   
"Yeah, yeah, smart ass. What are you doing here?" Drake shut the door and turned to look at JJ. JJ felt his breath catch a little at the sight of his partner, then laughed at himself. Well, at least his sex drive wasn't completely dead.  
"Hey, why don't you go finish your shower and I'll order pizza or Chinese or something." JJ moved toward the kitchen. "Knowing you, you just came home and crashed on the couch. Am I right?"  
Drake muttered something under his breath and walked back to the bathroom.  
"Oh! And it's your treat, sempai." JJ laughed again as Drake yelled something unintelligible from the bathroom as the water came back on.  
  
Forty-five minutes later found the two cops on the floor in front of Drake's TV with Chinese take-out boxes scattered everywhere around them. JJ lay on his back next to Drake, who sat with his back supported by the couch.  
JJ traced the pattern of the carpet with one finger and chewed on his lower lip. "Drake-sempai..."  
"Hmmm?"  
"Are you really going to give up on love? I mean...it just seems so lonely." JJ stared up at Drake.  
Drake sighed. "Were you really in love with Dee?"  
JJ dropped his eyes, and pursed his lips. He stopped tracing the pattern on the carpet. "I don't know."  
"Why did you think you were?"  
"When I saw Dee-sempai, I got excited." Drake snorted. "No, really. I don't mean sexually, although that was part of it. But when he looked at me or spoke to me, or even if he wasn't paying attention to me but we were in the same room, my heart would start beating fast and I felt...happy."  
"But did you just turn that off? I mean, how do you just stop feeling that because you want to? How can that be love?"  
"I didn't just stop feeling it, Drake-sempai." JJ sat up and looked at Drake. "I still get nervous when I know that Dee-sempai will be in the same room as me, and I always want to look good when I go to work because I know that he'll see me. Even though I've given up on him, and I can even admit that he and Ryo are perfect together, I still feel like that."  
Drake's face darkened, and he tried to ignore the strange feeling in his stomach at JJ's words. He looked into JJ's face. "So how was the date with the blond guy?"  
JJ laughed. "Well, I didn't get the flutters. But I'm going to go out with him again."  
The tight feeling in his stomach increased. "Why?"  
JJ leaned forward. "Well, it's obvious that love isn't just going to find me, so I have to go out and find it. I can't just stop dating guys because the first date didn't blow me away."  
Drake didn't answer. JJ leaned forward even more, until he was leaning against Drake. "Drake-sempai, don't write off love just yet. Haven't you ever met anyone who makes your heart beat faster?"  
Drake remained silent. JJ closed his eyes and listened to the strong heartbeat under his ear. He half-smiled. "There has to be a girl out there who wants to listen to this heartbeat."  
"Maybe." The room was silent for a moment, then Drake shifted, and JJ moved back, and the mood was broken. "Listen, why don't you just stay here tonight? You still have a set of clothes here from last time you spent the night, and it's kind of late. I'll make up the couch."  
"Thanks, Drake-sempai."  
Drake grinned. "I know this is why you came over in the first place. It's because my couch is more comfortable than your bed and you get free breakfast."  
JJ snorted. "Keep dreaming, Drake-sempai. Your breakfast isn't worth the time it takes to eat it, and I always end up cooking anyway. I'm just staying because I'm too lazy to make my way home."  
"Oh, that's so much better. Well, in that case, you can make your own bed. G'night."  
Drake heaved himself to his feet and grinned at JJ. "You know where the sheets are. See you in the morning."  
"Good night, Drake-sempai." 


	3. Chapter Three

The Learning Curve Chapter Three  
  
Drake woke suddenly in the middle of the night with a dry throat. He hauled himself out of bed and stumbled across the living room into the kitchen, where he poured a glass of water and gulped it down. He blinked sleepily and moved back into the living room carrying his second glass of water, and collapsed on the couch, which awoke and exploded beneath him.  
"What the-" the couch yelled as Drake fell to the side. The glass fell to the floor and rolled under the coffee table.  
"Oh god! I completely forgot you were here." Drake pushed his hand through his hair as he lifted himself up to the couch again. His eyes closed of their own volition, and he slumped a bit. "Sorry..." he mumbled. "When I'm tired, nothing really wakes me up."  
JJ laughed a little. "I can understand that, but do you think you could get off my stomach?"  
Drake blushed and stood up. "Ah - sorry. I'll just...go back to my room, I guess." He turned away from JJ and grimaced. *I'm such an idiot!*   
"Drake." JJ's voice sounded from behind him, and Drake's heart jumped a little.  
"Uh - yeah?"  
"What about the water all over your floor?"  
"Oh shit!"  
  
After Drake had wiped up the water and taken the empty glass to the kitchen, apologizing profusely to JJ, he returned to his own room. He stood for a moment above his empty bed, then threw himself on it, pulling the covers over his head in a complicated maneuver, which did not require him to leave the bed. "Oh god, I'm such a jerk." He muttered to himself. "And why the hell am I so embarrassed, anyway?"  
  
The next morning he rose and made his way out to the kitchen, where JJ was standing making eggs and toast.  
"Good morning, Drake-sempai." He grinned. "Did you sleep well last night, after you went back to bed?"  
"Yeah, thanks a lot." Drake shook his head. "Sorry again."  
"Hey, we've all had those moments. At least it wasn't in front of a girl you liked, right?"  
Drake laughed a little, more as if he felt obligated to than as if he really thought it was funny, and sat at the table. It was JJ's turn to berate himself, and he bit his lip as he turned back to the stove.  
"So, the eggs will be ready in a minute. Do you want butter on your toast?" He asked brightly, hoping to smooth over the stupid comment.  
"Please. Oh, I can get it," as JJ made to move toward the refrigerator. "It's not like I'm a guest, after all. I should really be the one serving you."  
"We talked about this last night, sempai. If you were the one serving me, we wouldn't be able to eat. You cook worse than the precinct cafeteria workers."  
"Hey, don't insult the host."  
"Ah, I'm sorry, sempai. Can you possibly forgive me?" JJ stuck out his tongue as he deftly served the eggs and toast.  
"Brat," Drake laughed genuinely for the first time that morning, and JJ beamed.  
  
That day at work, Dee informed Drake that he and Ryo were throwing a house-warming party the next night. They had thought that Bikky would be home longer, so had waited to plan the party, but he had been called to school early for training. He had, according to Dee, thrown a fit when they suggested having the party without him (Drake thought it more likely that Ryo had objected to having the party without their "son"). In any case, Bikky wouldn't be home for another few months, which was too long to wait, hence the short notice. Dee, of course, grumbled all day about how they were going to organize the newly expanded apartment in time for a party, but Drake figured they would have it under control. Ryo was a master-organizer, after all, and had the advantage of free labor in the form of Cal and Bikky.  
Drake accepted the invitation without a second thought, assuming that JJ would be invited as well. It came as a shock to him to hear Ryo and Dee arguing about it in the hallway later that day. Contrary to his expectations, it was Ryo who objected to JJ's presence.  
"I don't understand why you don't want to invite JJ. I mean, you'd think I'd be the one who wouldn't want to invite him."  
"Dee, you know I like JJ, and I respect him immensely. But I think it'll be awkward for him."  
Dee snorted. "You don't think it would be more awkward if everyone in the precinct comes and he doesn't even get an invite?"  
"I don't think the guys are insensitive enough to go around talking about it around him." Ryo looked stubborn.  
"Ryo. Look at me." Dee spoke in his rarely used serious voice. Drake thought that perhaps it was used more often with Ryo than anyone else, since Ryo just looked more stubborn. "Ryo. JJ stopped following me around weeks ago. I don't know how he could possibly have given up on such a specimen as I, but it seems like he did." Dee's egotism got a laugh out of Ryo. "And if you think the guys around here are 'sensitive' then you've got the wrong idea. You're the only Ryo around here. Most of us are just regular guys. I promise that JJ will find out about the party one way or another. We have to invite him."  
At this point, Drake left the room, seething. He didn't know why it enraged him to hear Ryo and Dee debating whether or not to invite JJ, but it did. And in a strange way, it hurt. He felt as though his lungs were shrinking as he thought of how JJ would feel if he knew about that conversation, and he walked straight up to the lovers.  
"We can hear you in the office, you know." He said in a low voice. "You're lucky everyone else was further away and busy."  
Ryo looked stricken while Dee put on an indifferent face.  
"And you better believe that JJ will be invited to your party. How can you even think of not inviting him? Do you have no respect for his feelings? He gave up on Dee for your sake, Ryo. At least give him credit for that. JJ knows that you're together, and he has no intention of ruining that."  
"I'm so sorry, Drake. I didn't realize -"  
"Obviously." Drake interrupted. "Don't apologize. Just invite him." He turned and left with a disappointed shake of his head.  
Why had he gotten so upset? If it had been someone else, would he have reacted the same way? Or was it just because JJ was his partner? He couldn't convince himself that the angry flush on his cheeks was the result of an off-hand insult to his partner. He had been partnered with other men and women, and had never taken their feelings so seriously. *Am I going crazy? What is this feeling?*  
  
Drake had recovered a few hours later when JJ entered the office room suddenly, throwing the door open and bouncing over to Drake's desk. "Hey, Drake! I brought doughnuts!" He dropped the brown bag on Drake's desk. He rummaged around for a moment then came up with a chocolate covered chocolate doughnut. He bit into this with relish and chewed energetically. Drake made a face.  
"How can you eat something that sweet? It's disgusting!"   
JJ glared at him. "I happen to love sweet things. Have you ever even tried one?" Drake shook his head. "Then you can't talk. Here, try it." JJ held the half-eaten doughnut in front of Drake face. "Take a bite!"  
Drake sighed and gave in. "Fine..." He took a hold of JJ hand and brought it closer to his face. He bit into the doughnut, chewed it speculatively, and swallowed. "Not bad. But it's still too sweet for my taste."  
JJ looked at his hand for a moment, then continued to eat the doughnut. "I may have to train you to like sweet things better. I don't know if I can be partnered with a cop who doesn't like doughnuts. It doesn't seem natural."  
Drake laughed. "Yeah, well I've never really liked sweets. I don't think you'll have too much luck changing my tastes."  
"I've heard that before," JJ muttered.  
Drake stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.  
"What? What? What did I say?" JJ demanded.  
"Nothing, I just...interpreted something wrong. Never mind. Oh! I forgot something in the car; I'll be right back." Drake stood and sauntered out of the room.  
JJ stared after him, and sighed. Sometimes his partner was as impossible to read as a Joyce novel. His moods swung suddenly from depressed to cheerful, silent to laughing, withdrawn to outgoing. JJ longed to be able to read beyond the surface of his thoughts, to know what went on in that complicated head, behind those sleepy eyes. He sometimes confused himself with the depth of his curiosity about his partner. At first, he had thought it was a sexual fascination, but as he realized how completely straight his partner was he had given up on that particular interpretation. JJ had done the unreciprocated love thing before, and if it was bad loving a gay man who didn't love you back, he couldn't imagine loving a straight man. No, this fascination with his partner had some other explanation; he just didn't know what it was yet.  
He jumped as a hand touched his back, and flushed. He turned to see Ryo's curious eyes watching him.  
"Sorry to startle you, JJ. Lost in your thoughts?"  
"You could say that," JJ answered uneasily. "Can I help you with something, sempai?" Although JJ had given up on Dee, he couldn't shake the lingering resentment that he felt for Ryo, and it pained him to call him 'sempai.' He understood intellectually that he had never had a chance with Dee, that Dee was head-over-heals in love with Ryo, and Ryo with Dee, but somehow the dislike wouldn't go away. To make things worse, Ryo was invariably kind and considerate to JJ.  
"Well, Dee and I are having a house-warming party tomorrow night. It's not a big deal or anything, but please come if you have a little time." Ryo smiled kindly.  
For some reason, Ryo's invitation kindled a small flame of anger in his stomach, but he smiled brightly in response and accepted graciously. How dare they invite me to their home? He didn't know why it still hurt, why it still angered him to think of them together. He didn't know why no one had bothered to tell him that they were moving in together so that he had to learn by being invited to their goddamn party. He had thought he was getting over this, little by little, but this sudden unexplained anger told him that he wasn't over it by a long shot.  
He whirled and left the room, moving blindly down the hall toward the bathroom. On his way he ran into Drake, who received a glower for being in his way when all he needed was a good sulk.  
"Ah, sorry, JJ. I just remembered that I left this in the car." He held up a small basket filled with candy. "For keeping me company last night, and saving me from my own cooking this morning."  
JJ stared at the gift basket, and to his horror he felt tears rising to his eyes. Drake's expression changed from laughing to concern as he watched his partner.  
"JJ - hey, JJ, what's wrong?" He looked around then pulled JJ down the hall, past the bathroom. "Come here. Let's go to the basement, no one really goes there."  
JJ fought to keep the tears in his eyes from falling, but they spilled out of his eyes and down his cheeks, and he felt sobs crushing his chest. He breathed through his mouth and tilted his head back, as if the tears would be absorbed back into his eyes.  
"What's wrong? What happened?"  
"Ryo - he invited me - to a house part. He and Dee, they, they're moving in together. Why didn't anyone tell me? Why did I have to learn it like this?" He gave in to the anguish that enveloped him, and sobbed.  
Drake watched him, feeling close to tears himself. It hurt more to see JJ crying than any of the women he had supposedly cared for, and he didn't know what to do. "I'm so sorry, JJ." He whispered. "I thought you knew...I thought someone must have told you..."  
"Well, no one fucking did!" He cried out. "Why won't it go away? I don't want to feel like this anymore."  
"It'll get better, JJ, I promise." Drake said helplessly. "It has to."  
"How do you know?" The words could have been cruel, but JJ's tone was so hopeful that Drake drew in a breath.  
"I don't know, but I promise it will get better. I can't tell you the future exactly, but I know that there is love in it." He reached out and pulled JJ into his arms, holding him as tightly as possible. JJ did nothing to tighten or loosen the embrace, letting his arms dangle awkwardly. "Please don't cry, JJ."  
"I can't help it. It won't stop."  
"I'll do anything, JJ. I can't stand to see you crying." Drake wondered at the words that were coming out of his mouth. It wasn't like him to spout cheesy lines when the girl started crying. But this wasn't a girl, and when he said the words to JJ they didn't feel cheesy.  
The words did nothing to stem the flow of tears from JJ, and he stood stiff in Drake's arms as he cried. But no one can cry forever, and JJ was never the type to let despair get him down. Eventually he relaxed, and his arms rose hesitantly to circle Drake's waist. The tears stopped, and they stood in silence in the basement listening to the sound of their own breathing.  
Drake rested his head on JJ's, afraid of doing or saying anything that would set JJ off again.  
How long they stood like that Drake didn't know, but eventually one of them moved a little, then the other, and soon they were moving back up the stairs, still in silence. JJ made a little sound, then laughed quietly.  
"Drake-sempai." His voice sounded loudly after so much quiet.  
"Yeah?" Drake felt uncomfortable. If JJ thanked him for holding him...  
"Thanks for the candy basket."  
"Oh - no problem." 


End file.
